Camping and Essential Food Safety

Some people enjoy the activity of camping just for the food alone. And who can blame them, the opportunity to use an outdoor BBQ garners some of the best tasting food around. Whether cooking by campfire or a gas grill, there’s something about food cooked in the outdoors that makes it extra delicious. Of course when you are in the woods, you will have to allow for the fact that the conditions will not be like your home kitchen. Many people have suffered food poisoning by forgetting this, and entire trips can be halted if your food goes bad.

Your most essential camping supplies when it comes to food safety will be your food coolers. You want to get at least two large coolers to store your drinks and your food. It’s always a good idea to keep these two things separate because you want to open your food cooler as little as possible. Try to use block ice because it lasts longer, and you can even freeze some foods like soups and stews to act as a cooling agent as well. And if you thaw something out then make sure to cook it right away because there will be no way to re-freeze it safely. You can keep your coolers stored in your car, or if you don’t have a vehicle then your camping tent makes a nice home for supplies. Just be aware that cheap tents might not provide the room you need to accommodate all your sleeping gear in addition to your food.

When you are ready to cook your food, make sure that the grill surface is nice and clean. You’ll want to clean after every meal to prevent a messy build-up of grime that can contaminate your next meal. And it’s always better to land on the side of over-cooking than having something undercooked later do damage to your digestion. Never forget about the safety of your campfire either because you want to make sure you don’t start any forest fires. So always make sure to keep an eye on wayward sparks and have a supply of water to put out the fire when you’re done. Remember, a major rule of camping is to preserve the campsite and the woods so that the people who come after you can enjoy it as well.